Support NeoGAF

[Sir Alemeth]

Since the start of the London Olympics, Google has displayed a brand new Doodle every day highlighting different Olympic events. We’ve seen Doodles celebrating the sports of shot put, javelin, tables tennis, field hockey, and more. Today’s Doodle pays tribute to all the athletes participating in various track events involving hurdles – but some are seeing something buried a bit deeper in the artwork. Something more sinister…

Today’s interactive Doodle lets users play a QWOP-like game where the avatar runs and jumps hurdles. And it’s all fun and games until someone accuses the search giant of subtle racism.

First, let’s see if you spot anything racist about the Doodle:

Do you see it? Apparently, the runner looks African American and the track looks a little too much like a slice of watermelon.

@CrissChords

Google is lowkey racist for having a black guy running on top of a watermelon. We see what you did thur.

Scott Schopman

Just me or is Google's Doodle today a tad bit racist?? 0 0 Powered by socialditto
Rich

@rich_pokey

Is he right? is #google racist? they got this black guy running on watermelon rind.

Donald Napier

Nice subtle racism making the track in your doodle look like watermelon

Now, it’s hard to argue that the runner doesn’t look black and the track doesn’t look like a watermelon, but do you honestly think Google had this in mind when the Doodle design came across the table?

Last week, NBC was accused of the same kind of subtle racism when they aired a promo of a monkey doing gymnastics right after USA’s Gabby Douglas won the gold medal at the women’s all-around competition. Are these actual instances of racism, or, like the hurdler, are people simply making some incredible leaps?

Source:
http://www.webpronews.com/google-ac...ck-guy-running-on-a-watermelon-doodle-2012-08

Gets the Conan treatment:
http://www.webpronews.com/googles-racist-doodle-gets-the-conan-treatment-2012-08

What say you, GAF?
Lock if old, searched and didn't find anything.

 

[Pachterballs]

holy shit.

people will complain about everything. I played that. Not once did I think watermelon.

 

[Devolution]

But the track color is clay red and the grass is green. Ugh.

 

[Mr. F]

This is getting fucking dumb.

 

[rekameohs]

There's nothing negroidal about this.

 

[Noricart]

How do people "notice" this shit?
Why do people think that the track looks like a watermelon?
Sounds pretty racist/looking for racism

 

[giga]

 

[Count Dookkake]

That's a pretty big watermelon.

 

[Like the hat?]

People will find racism in anything

 

[Omzz]

Didn't notice that on my play through. People will find the dumbest shit to talk about and make it an issue

 

[yogloo]

The black guy just ruined a perfectly good watermelon.

SMH.

 

[ReBurn]

That's dumb since he's actually jumping.

 

[Satch]

There's nothing negroidal about this.

lmfao

 

[Kenshin001]

They all look like watermelons.

 

[def sim]

ah yes

the running on watermelon stereotype

 

[WickedCobra03]

This is dumb.

 

[CrAzYLeGzLU]

Sigh...how can people be this dumb.

 

[Johnny Cage In The Shower]

It's not racist, that's just referencing a Picasso art called "Black man on watermelon"

 

[darkwing]

please don't hurt me, but why is a watermelon racist?

 

[Parallax]

Some people are honestly going there with this? Fucking wow.

 

[CLEEK]

 

[dekline]

This really shouldn't be an issue.

Like at all

 

[kehs]

Wait, this didn't originate from Conan?

 

[panty]

What the hell? Are they serious? A watermelon?

 

[Shiggie]

seriously people. when there is true racism all this cry wolf bullshit would make actual racism fall on deaf ears.

 

[Candeldandel]

Don't watermelons have seeds? I don't see any seeds in that watermelon...

Oh wait, it's just a red track, with grass. Like nearly every running track EVERYWHERE.

 

[nhlducks35]

Man have I had to post this pic a lot in the past week...

 

[Anteater]

of course their image search is racist too

 

[MIMIC]

Dear news media: STOP CITING TWITTER AS A SOURCE

 

[CLEEK]

Imagine if they'd done a Doodle with a dark skinned athlete throwing a javelin. Think of all the 'spear chucker' claims.

 

[watershed]

I can see what they are seeing but red clay and grass ya know.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

Lowkey racist? WTF is shit?

 

[Timan]

Saw this on reddit too,

racist as well :/

http://i.imgur.com/9Yazc.jpg

 

[captmcblack]

What the fuck is "Web Pro News"? Are we really using Twitter as a news source or a means to validate anything?

Is any actual, legitimate complaining about this happening at all? I don't think anyone is doing that...and if they are it's terrible, because it obfuscates actual instances of actual racism/racist imagery and subsequent discussion.

It's because of stuff like this that more insidious stuff can get filed away in the "lol bullshit" drawer with this crap.

Anyway, yeah...this is not racist/racist imagery, and anyone actually complaining about this is a toolbag, no matter what shape, shade or sex - period.

 

[user_nat]

What is racist about a watermelon?

 

[ReiGun]

Dear news media: STOP CITING TWITTER AS A SOURCE

Seriously. I thought by now it would be a well known fact that for for every 1 intelligent, worthy of comment thing said on Twitter, there are 400,000,000 incredibly stupid things said. As such, it's best to not take the site as a whole seriously, and certainly don't write news articles about it.

 

[BadAss2961]

please don't hurt me, but why is a watermelon racist?

Just another old stereotype that it's one of black people's favorite foods. Like how fried chicken got tied to black people.

This guy should've killed that stereotype though.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I can't imagine any of them could really be serious in that complaint. It's a joke. Right?

 

[EulaCapra]

Huh. Saw this on Conan.

Still don't see the problem. Seems to me Google is simply advocating for more watermelon visibility against such a turbulent time period.

 

[SouthernDragon]

No, stop it, media, stop it. This is stupid. Do not give a platform to stupid people.

Not that you haven't been doing that for the past few years, but don't go lower.

 

[Kaako]

The next time you want to post a "news" article with tweets as sources, slap yourself and apologize out-loud afterwards to your inner consciousness.

 

[Socreges]

Saw this on reddit too,

racist as well :/

http://i.imgur.com/9Yazc.jpg

He stole the 'O'?

 

[oatmeal]

Saw this on reddit too,

racist as well :/

http://i.imgur.com/9Yazc.jpg

haha

he stole the o

 

[AbortedWalrusFetus]

Just another old stereotype that it's one of black people's favorite foods. Like how fried chicken got tied to black people.

This guy should've killed that stereotype though.

Can't leave the asians out of this either.

 

[Cipherr]

SMH... This is why next time none of the little figures will be black at all, just for safety from dumb stuff like this. Then folks will bitch about that.

 

[nhlducks35]

He stole the 'O'?

Racist.

 

[Kokonoe]

I notice most news stories come from false assumptions.

 

[rainking187]

Wait, have all the recent Google doodles been interactive? I didn't really pay much attention to them.

 

[nashb81]

Just another old stereotype that it's one of black people's favorite foods. Like how fried chicken got tied to black people.

This guy should've killed that stereotype though.

I'm sure this guy's wife is pretty content.

 

[Sean]

Just another old stereotype that it's one of black people's favorite foods. Like how fried chicken got tied to black people.

I never understood how this was supposed to be some negative stereotype against black people, chicken is fucking delicious.